A late afternoon before an event as big and as complicated at this one is crazy busy at best. So it was a very pleasant surprise when Luis Escobar told us he had a few minutes for an interview. The sun was setting, the fire was burning, the music was playing and the positive energy was flowing….and then this amazing interview.
First, congratulations to all of the runners who took part in this fantastic event–everyone should congratulate themselves for getting out there and taking on this course. Second, the Born to Run course is set in a valley and is in the shape of a figure 8 made up of two ten mile-ish loops. We battled the technology a bit and ended up pulling the TRoM mobile to the middle of the “8″, tossed our camera on top of the car and hit broadcast. (And then ran off to the starting line so we could run our races too!) What we’ve archived here is some of that broadcast. It’s a loose and easy race format and our coverage reflected that. A big “Thank You” to race director/founder Luis Escobar for all of his kind hospitality!
On her quest to reach another goal on our bucket list our Pauline Ludwig made the journey to Paris for this year’s marathon. (Lucky her!) Here is her report:
Event Preparation: What were your training goals and areas of concentration during your preparation? What were your big worries or concerns going into the event?
We don’t usually get the opportunity to travel so far for a race; most of the time we stay local, but a good friend of mine had moved to Paris several years ago and had been asking me to come over for a visit and to run the Paris marathon. My brother’s family lives over in Belgium, and it had been about 7 years since we had visited them, so the stars aligned and we were able to plan a trip to see everyone and get the Paris marathon in as a bonus.
One goal was to learn more about running at consistent heart rate. Reach a certain level of consistency, and to learn how to relax during a long distance run. So the main focus of my marathon program from Coach Andy was to train to keep my heart rate and pace the same throughout runs, whereas previously I would run hard for a while, then have to back off; this would repeat making running longer distances difficult for me.
At the start of race (mindset): Walk us through your prep for the start of your event. Any mantras? Any mental sequences you run through to get yourself in the proper frame of mind?
The weather in Paris was amazing for April in Europe – it was sunny and clear, and was around 40 degrees; perfect for running. I felt quiet the morning of the marathon – I don’t talk a lot the morning of the race because it’s my time to go inward – not speaking other languages helped with this, since I could talk to most around me even if I want to. It was my first international race and a very big with over 40,000 runners, and I had to get myself in the space I needed for the event. I was introspective leading up to the start. I was hoping that my body would be acclimated to the time zone change (9 hours ahead), but I was still feeling a little off the morning of the race. I calmed myself my observing what was going on around me but didn’t allow myself to be distracted by everything going on around me.
Mid race reflection: How were you feeling mid race? For example, were you thankful for any particular portion of your training? Were you on pace? What was your strategy for the second half?
I was feeling defeated from not having a good start; I had some digestive issues (still acclimating to the time difference) at the start (of course!) and I was strongly wondering if I should DNF since I didn’t have a good start and was in a place of self-defeating thoughts. But, underneath there was another voice that told me I’d be disappointed if I didn’t get a chance to run by the Eiffel Tower, so I at least needed to get there. When I got to the Eiffel Tower, I felt like “I made it to the Eiffel Tower, so I can finish this”. I felt pretty good, and have more than half of this race done, so let’s see where I can go with this. Having a focus point like that was really key to keep me moving forward, instead of getting stuck when I’m not feeling the best.
Finish: Give us a playback of your finish. What was your mindset? How was your body feeling? Were you comfortable in your surroundings? How did you feel 1 minute after crossing the finish line? How did you feel the next day?
In the past, I never feel good coming into the finish, and just want to cross the line; the last mile is always hell for me and a very challenging place for me to be. I was tired and fatigued at that point – fatigued in a lack of sleep kind of way, but I actually felt pretty good this time, I was very happy that I didn’t quit and DNF. I actually thought that the Arc de Triumph was the finish, so I focused on that when it came into view – but then the finish line popped up after the last turn, and I was so happy it was closer than I thought! I was still a little disappointed with my time , but with being off-schedule, it was a lesson-learned for next time. I was glad to see my spouse and friend at the finish line; always good to see people you know at the end of a race.
Recovery: Give us a rundown of your 48 hour post-race recovery sequence: nutrition, physical rehab, and your general overall mood.
At the end of my marathon, it’s essential that I have a meal-replacement shake to immediately start recovering from the race; it’s easy to digest and gets me back on track after the exertion from the event. The next day I was a little stiff, but we went walking around to take in some of the local sites just outside of Paris; the walking helped to loosen up from the day before. The rest of our stay in Europe to visit family and friends, so I didn’t jump right back into running, and I was happy to do that for a little while…
Hindsight: It’s 20/20 so tell us what worked and tell us what didn’t:
My nutrition and hydration throughout the marathon worked great, my body’s inability to acclimate to the time change in time was an issue. I would give myself more time before doing a marathon across a 9 hour difference time zone. We arrived two days before the marathon; next time I would give it at least three…
Coach Andy’s suggestions?
Coaching was instrumental – advice on the nutrition and hydration schedule and the easy approach to heart rate training was extremely helpful. Learning to constantly to check in on how my body is feeling as well as dealing with the mental versus physical was key as well.
Additional Comments: Anything you’d like to add?
It was a great experience to do a marathon overseas and look forward to my next opportunity taking the lessons learning during this one.
What a week.’Nuff said. The Third Annual running of the Save Mt. Diablo race(s) were held on April 20th and TRoM athlete Mike Cloward took part in the 50k. Here is his report:
Event Preparation: What were your training goals and areas of concentration during your preparation?
This was my second 50k with my previous 50k (ITR’s Lake Chabot event) providing me with a long list of fix-its and need-to’s. The old adage “you can never get enough hill work” couldn’t have been made more clear at Chabot so Coach Andy added some more reps and I upped my core work. Nothing pisses me off more than feeling weak in the upper body at the latter part of races. I know it’s inevitable but I wanted to hold off that feeling for as long as possible. So I was looking forward to gauging my progress by tackling the big hills that the Diablo course provided.
At the start of race (mindset): Walk us through your prep for the start of your event. Any mantras? Any mental sequences you run through to get yourself in the proper frame of mind?
The first priority when I got to the starting point was to seek out my racing family and touch base. (Big hugs with Peter and Erin Beck who had been in Boston. How shitty would life be without these people in my life? Right?)
I knew it was going to be a hot day so that was an added incentive for me to start out at a reasonable pace and build. Thanks to the big hill at three miles in for the reminder as well! Coach Andy told me I’d be running the majority of the race at LT (lactic threshold) which in a way freaked me out. I’ve never really held LT for more than 7 miles—so my mantra was to simply not blow up. Heat plus LT plus unfamiliar course…I was envisioning digital pictures with me hunched over puking my guts out. I know those images would make for a great xmas card this year but I’d didn’t want that photo op to happen during this race.
The mental sequence was as follows: Keep good running form, keep your frikkin’ head up, drink on time, eat on time, stay in mid LT.
photo: Inside Trail Racing
Mid race reflection: How were you feeling mid race? For example, were you thankful for any particular portion of your training? Were you on pace? What was your strategy for the second half?
The first portion of the race pretty much tells me how the day is going to go. I was feeling okay but honestly I was a little tired and rung out from the week. I just didn’t sleep well with all the shit going on back East but as soon as I broke a sweat I started to settle in and got over the “can I finish this thing?” jitters. I’ve been very lucky to have connected with good people early on in races. As I did with Sarah Lavender Smith at the Oakland Marathon, I was able to run a few of the early miles with Save Mt. Diablo board member Marty Reed. He made mention of how fast everybody was jumping out of the gate and he laid out some course tips that ended up being crucial—most notably that the race doesn’t start until mile 24. “Get there in good shape and the rest is manageable”. Thank you Marty!
At the half way point which also is Aid Station #2 a lot of those fast starters were now behind me and/or at the aid station collecting their thoughts. I saw Paula Ferre standing by to pace TRoM runner Erin Beck and I mumbled some nonsense which I guess was a pretty good indicator of where I was mentally–distracted yet focused. There was a very strong head wind for a number of miles prior to the half-way point and I was a little wind-blown as were the others. The hidden dehydrator—a high cool wind. I looked at my time and I was okay with my pace—but my strategy was to simply race my heart rate monitor to the finish. It wasn’t really about time at this point—it was seeing if I could stay in mid-LT for 31 miles. So my strategy for the second half was to stay with the routine and not worry about placing–just concentrating on finishing strong without having to be carted off.
Finish: Give us a playback of your finish. What was your mindset? How was your body feeling? Were you comfortable in your surroundings? How did you feel 1 minute after crossing the finish line? How did you feel the next day?
photo: Chris Jones
The second half started with a long stretch of single track. I’ve been calling it cow trails since I was kid and they were rutty and difficult to manage. Note to self: There is no way to train for these other than running them. I had scribbled the mile markers for the big hills that were due up for the second half of the course on my arm (insert: how could you tell where the scribble was” joke here) and set my pace accordingly. I’ve been struggling with miles 18 through 24 in past runs and it flared up again so I wasn’t feeling it for this portion of the race—at all. I tackled the last big hill at mile 27 and then rolled to the finish. One minute after crossing the line I made quick mental notes of where I struggled so I could point those out to Coach Andy as soon as I saw him. I forget so much right after a race! I then sought out my family and friends and started my recovery process.
Recovery: Give us a rundown of your 48 hour post-race recovery sequence: nutrition, physical rehab, and your general overall mood.
A big part of my race recovery used to involve immediately dealing with sore knees and lower back stiffness. Since I’ve started working with Coach Andy these issues no longer exist. Form and focus! (Read: Keep your frikkin’ head up!). So now the bulk of my recovery is simply flushing my system with fluids, stretching, using a foam roller and eating clean proteins. I have an ambitious race schedule this year so mentally there wasn’t a letdown, thought admittedly trudging into work on Monday erases any feelings of finisher bravado!
Hindsight: It’s 20/20 so tell us what worked and tell us what didn’t:
What worked: My focus on core and upper body strength. I felt incrementally stronger at the end so my program is working. Strengthening is a slow arc so patience and focus are my keys. I also concentrated on form—especially on the long downhill portions and my knees were tired but not sore. Hydration worked—120 ounces over the race—and it could’ve been even a little more.
Nothing didn’t “not work” but I definitely need to get stronger on the hills. Simply putting in the time will fix this issue (I hope). I also need to pay closer attention to my early race energy output so I can decrease the amount of miles I’m not feeling it.
Any final thoughts?
photo: Peter Beck
It was a crazy, upside down emotional week (anger, despair, shock anyone?) and the outpouring from the running community for those who had suffered so greatly in Boston gave me great hope that there are good people out there. It also fortified my belief that I’ve landed in the right place after a long and at times comical/tragic/ironic road to get here. As I mentioned on my Facebook page, I am so glad that this road is a long one because I look forward to continuing to run on it for some time to come . Hitting goals, hitting PRs–all of that is fun and rewarding and but I’d choose sharing a fist bump and a “good luck” with Pete over a PR any day of year.
To learn more about how to get involved with the Save Mt. Diablo effort please go HERE
Let us to introduce you to Kim Tank. Kim has shown an amazing dedication to the individualized plan that Coach Andy has put together for her and her improvement from race to race over the months has been spectacular. We really love her upbeat positive energy and we’d thought others would like to know a little more about how Kim and how she does it.
How important do think having a routine every day is? Expand on your daily routine and take us through your day in journal fashion?
The only aspect of my life that is routine is that I don’t have one! I run a business that operates seven days a week including holidays so my work life is anything but predictable. I might work a few hours on one day and then twelve hours the next. With a husband and four kids, I never know what extra tasks I might have for the day. It’s a chaotic life, but I figure someone has to do it!
If there is a typical day it might go something like this: I get up about 5 AM, get ready for work and I’m out the door by 6. I do pet care in my clients’ homes and the first shift of the day is for those that need the earliest visits. I fit in eating when I can which is usually some oat meal for breakfast. I drive my son to school, do another pet care visit or two, and then take a break to get a run in. Once that’s completed, I shower and head back out to walk some dogs during the midday.Then I find time for lunch. Back to school for the son, and if the dishes and laundry are lucky that day, they might get some attention. Often my husband will make dinner if I have more visits to do. Evenings are spent hanging out with the kids, doing office work and a little Facebooking.
Please highlight some of the facets of your day that you find most beneficial? (they don’t have to be exercise-based):
One thing that is really great about my work life is that I can usually find some flexibility. If I shift things around, I can meet friends for a run at whatever time works for them. On the days where it might be tough, I get up extra early to have that free time for a run and then a post run coffee.
What is your favorite meal of the day? Would you be so kind as to share a recipe(s) with us?
As far as family life I like dinner best and we try to sit down as a family on most nights. But my favorite meal is really lunch. I don’t have to worry about who doesn’t like what. I can design my own meal and it’s nice and quiet! I try to avoid things that come in a box and try to find food that looks like it exists in nature. I can’t always accomplish this (as in thenrecipe below) but one thing I do have that is organic is eggs. We have 3 chickens in our backyard, and you can’t get much more organic than knowing the name of the hen that laid your egg.
I enjoy tomatoes, onions, peppers and avocados with just about everything and I’ll have either an omelet, a chicken or turkey sandwich or a salad with all of those ingredients. It doesn’t require a lot of thought, just a well-stocked kitchen with the aforementioned goodies.I don’t use recipes a lot, but I’ll share one which is a great way to get some spinach down, if you don’t like it straight out of the can, like I do. Sure, it has a bucket of sour cream, but it’s oh, so tasty!
Ingredients:
Steam the spinach to thaw, drain, and combine with sour cream and onion soup mix in a casserole dish.
Fry the bread crumbs and butter until brown (enough to cover the entire dish) then sprinkle on top of the spinach mixture. Sprinkle Parmesan on top if desired. Bake about 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven.
What part of the day do you prefer working out or being active?
I’m a morning person, so I like to be out as soon possible, the earlier the better. But I am also a social runner, and I have been known to show up whenever and wherever an email tells me to go if it means I can run with my friends.
Any helpful tips for motivation? Any mantras? Any easy to succumb to pitfalls we should avoid?
I’m always motivated by the fact that I never regret a workout, but I certainly have regretted skipping one. Also helping me to get out there are my friends most of whom are also Range of Motion athletes who hold the same passion for running as I do. I am constantly inspired by what they have accomplished and it pushes me to work harder. While there are many days I am focused on my pace and form, there are also days when a run has flown by so fast with my fellow runners that I can’t believe it’s already over!
Pitfalls? Sometimes I have found myself unhappy with a particular run and it’s easy to fall into a mindset of negativity. But I’ve learned some days are just going to go better than others. If you can figure out what went wrong, that’s great. But if not, you have to move on and focus on the next one. And more often than not, my next run is a whole lot better!
Mantras? I have a few positive affirmations that I use, but my latest one is “Better, Faster, Stronger!” I’m currently recovering from an injury and I am cross training to stay in shape while taking a break from running. I need to keep thinking positive. Right from the beginning of my involvement in running I decided that I didn’t want to just maintain my fitness, but improve it. Coach Andy has been guiding me through this, assigning me pool running, along with some bike workouts. I got handed some lemons, but I’m going to make lemonade and more. Maybe some lemon meringue pie and ice cream!
Your best training story ever is:
One day I was running with fellow TRoM athletes Erin and Paula out on the Lafayette Moraga trail. We are all 50-somethings, and we came upon a group of 30-something women. It was with great pleasure that we passed them about a mile before the end of the trail and ended up seeing them finish a minute or two behind us. The funny part, to me, wasn’t that we passed them (none of us are exactly “rocking chair bound” just yet!) but it was how it happened. Not a word was spoken. We just all looked at each other and were thinking the exact same thing. We gave each other a little smile, and then we did what we needed to do. We’re just sort of bonded that way!
A number of Range of Motion athletes ran the 4th annual Oakland Marathon this year. We tapped our Mike Cloward for a report since he lives on the course route and considers this event his home race.
Event Preparation: What were your training goals and areas of concentration during your preparation? What were your big worries or concerns going into the event?
At the finish of the Monsoon formerly known as CIM last year I just hated the way I felt in regards to body strength and cognitive processing skills. Sure, the torrential rain and 30 mph head wind played a big part but I still felt under trained so my goal was to simply get physically stronger by this race. My one and only major concern for this event was the mile count on pavement since most of my longer runs have been on trail. Foot and knee pain always crop up on my longer paved runs so my focus was on staying in proper form—something Coach Andy has been steadily working with me on—head up, landing light, and good posture. Oakland also presents a unique situation in that the last quarter of the race is shared with the Half Marathoners which is a blessing if you’re having a good race because you’re in a constant state of reeling people in but the obvious downside is crowd navigation and the extra effort that it takes to stay upright as you dodge some folks.
At the start of race (mindset): Walk us through your prep for the start of your event. Any mantras? Any mental sequences you run through to get yourself in the proper frame of mind?
The plan was to wedge in between the 3:40 and the 3:50 pace groups and just simply keep my head together for the first six miles. Breathing, form, and a relaxed pace were the early race goals all while not losing sight of the 3:40 pace group. My mantra for the start was simple,”Calm the f*ck down” and I really didn’t spend too much time taking notice of who was around me at the start. Though at about 15 minutes before the start I sought out my running family, wished everybody luck, shared the required pre-race fist bump with Pete Beck and wandered to my spot. Shhhhhhhhh. Right before the start I envisioned running around Lake Merritt, my usual weekday training course, and off and running we went.
Mid race reflection: How were you feeling mid race? For example, were you thankful for any particular portion of your training? Were you on pace? What was your strategy for the second half?
The vibe of the Oakland Marathon is electric and the course sends you through some great neighborhoods so at the midway point I felt like I was on an urban exploration run more than anything else. I was definitely thankful that I was able to keep my shit together at the start and didn’t get caught up in any hi-jinx big race starts can bring. The 3:40 pacer was a in view and I didn’t feel winded. I was finally breaking into a solid sweat which reminds me that the race is on. Miles 6 through 11.5 were the big climb into the Oakland Hills and this is where Coach Andy advised me to keep my heart rate in middle Aerobic range and to just keep moving never falling below an 8:30 pace. This section was the first psychological test as some of the people who were burning it up at the start were beginning to wheeze and to walk. Keep pushing!
The plan for the top of the hill and the start of the long downhill was to catch the 3:40 pacer. Thankfully that task wasn’t as hard as I anticipated and I was back with them by mile 13. I really fought off the challenge to roar down the hill as many runners chose to do–many of whom I’d later catch up with around mile 20. There were two 3:40 pacers: One that lead the pack and one to keep the back in check. I made my way to the lead pacer—Sarah Lavender Smith—and this turned out to be the best tactical move of the day. Sarah proved to be very adept at building a cushion knowing that the track around the lake was going to be narrow and cluttered with a lot of runners accomplishing various goals at the finish. So slowly over the miles we picked up a few seconds here and there which is much easier than sprinting at the end to make up for lost time.
Finish: Give us a playback of your finish. What was your mindset? How was your body feeling? Were you comfortable in your surroundings? How did you feel 1 minute after crossing the finish line? How did you feel the next day?
My thinking going into Mile 20 was to keep pace and really start working on mentally lowering my heart rate. My knees were doing fine, my feet were starting to feel the pounding so I just kept focusing on form and trying to land as efficiently and lightly as I could while maintaining pace. I was also feeling the extra exertion of having to weave back and forth between the other runners since we couldn’t find a clean line to just flat out run. I was bordering on dipping into LT (lactic threshold) and I really wanted to be in mid-AR by Mile 22 so if I had any kick in me I could start it at about there. I wasn’t as successful with my heart rate drop attempt as I had anticipated and was into low LT by mile 23. I didn’t want to blow up so I held steady and kept on Sarah until about mile 25 where she yelled for everybody who “wanted to crush 3:40” better make their move to pass her. It was a brilliantly timed motivational last push. (After I finished I told Sarah how grateful I was for her effort. Also a big thanks goes out to Mark Tanaka who was also pacing the 3:40 group–a super great job. Always thank your pacer!)
One minute after I finished there was an amazing sense of bewilderment. I couldn’t quite grasp the fact that I had taken 17 minutes off of my PR let alone finish just under 3:40. And to be clear, I’m not saying this to be a dick. I just had a hopeful goal of finishing around 3:40 knowing that I’d be okay with just a pain free finish somewhere around the 4 hour mark. Also I am very aware that there are many runners much faster than I am so there is no sense of bravado in these words– I run for me and for the opportunity to spend time with dear friends so ultimately it was about achieving a personal goal . Hope that makes sense.
I put my faith in Coach Andy’s conditioning plan that I stuck to faithfully over the past months and I am grateful that I finished where I finished. I kept thinking towards the end that “this isn’t happening, where’s the blow up going to be” but it never came. Sometimes you just have to shut off your brain and just let your body do the work.
Recovery: Give us a rundown of your 48 hour post-race recovery sequence: nutrition, physical rehab, and your general overall mood.
I always start pounding water immediately after the race. I sip every 10 minutes during the race but I like to get my system flushed out as soon as possible post-race with as much water as I can get down. I also immediately stretch and hit the foam roller. Post-race means pizza with the gang and then I get back to my usual diet of lean, vegan, high protein foods. The mental part is two-fold: there’s the sense of accomplishment that gives you that post-race buzz that makes you glad you worked so hard on your training and then there is the post-show comedown. I say “show” because there’s cheering crowds and lots of energy but eventually the lights go up and the people leave and you’re back to the sound of an early alarm and training hard for the next one.
Hindsight: It’s 20/20 so tell us what worked and tell us what didn’t:
Overall I was felt I was pretty close to where I wanted to be for this event. I solved 65% of my problem of feeling tuckered out in my upper body at the end of the race and with continued hard work I’ll get it closer. (But do we ever get to where we truly want to be? Lol!) So in regards to what worked—I feel like I am on course for my goal race—Firetrails 50 in October—but have lots of head room in terms of getting there.
What didn’t work was the long stretch on pavement. Kudos to those runners who can pound out those long miles on the road—I don’t know how you do it—but I respect the fact that you can. By mile 24 my feet felt like I had taken a hammer to the bottom of them and that was the only lasting discomfort I had post-race.
Coach Andy’s suggestions?
Having a plan you can trust and being able to put your faith into that plan is a huge psychological advantage. I have confidence in Coach Andy’s approach and that spills over to my race plan. With my race strategy in place at the start all I had to do was hit my marks which my conditioning allowed me to do. My desired result was realistic and in line with my conditioning up to this point and Coach Andy helped form a plan that helped me reach my desired goal.
Additional Comments: Anything you’d like to add?
I’d like to send out a big thank you to the city of Oakland for putting on a great event which heightened the good time I had with my running family which is what it’s all about for me.
photo by mark tanaka
There’s a number of ways to describe Range of Motion athlete Peter Beck—great guy, great photographer, great athlete. But this time around we get to call him great reporter as he recounts his running of this year’s Way Too Cool 50k held each year in the Northern California city of Cool. Here is his report:
The morning of the Way Too Cool 50K was one of those perfect NorCal mornings – clear, crisp and dry – perfect conditions for a trail run with 1,000+ of your best running buddies! As a bonus it rained lightly the night before dampening down that infamous Cool red colored dust. The stage was set–it was going to be an epic day for a race.
My morning started with a 5:15am alarm–plenty of time for a light breakfast of oatmeal and a banana. It was just a short drive to the race start in Cool from our friend’s house where we stayed the night before. I was in the second of two waves, with an 8:10am start, so this gave me plenty of time to get my gear together and to get my mind focused on the day to come. I did one last run-down of my mental checklist to make sure I had everything and then it was on to greet friends, stand in the porta-pottie line and then get to running!
I ran three 50K’s in 2012 and while I finished them all, I never felt like I ran them with a consistent pace – meaning I felt strong in the first half but I dragged myself through the second. I also finished each one of them feeling like I couldn’t take another step. I even found myself injured with a nasty IT Band pull after the third 50K (Skyline), which in retrospect I now recognize as my body telling me that I just wasn’t doing something right. I knew then that if I was going to make 2013 a successful and fun year of running that I needed to tap Coach Andy’s experience in order to fix a few things during the off-season–and that Way Too Cool was going to be the place to see if it all worked. My previous best time (PR) for this distance was 7 hours, 34 minutes, at the Skyline To The Sea 50K. My “dream goal” for Way Too Cool was to break the seven hour barrier. That would mean running an overall pace of a 13:30 min/mile or better for 31 miles – definitely a stretch for me. But I wrote that goal on to a piece of tape and put it on my watch as a reminder.
The Way Too Cool course breaks down in to two loops. The first is an eight or nine mile stretch known as the Olmstead Loop. It’s relatively flat and deceptively fast. I knew from previous race-prep conversations with Coach Andy that I needed to meter myself during this portion and concentrate on running my own race. With the excitement of the race start it is easy to go out too quickly – which would cost me in the later miles. I used this time as a warm-up and focus on my heart rate and pace. My goal for this loop was just to keep everything relaxed.
The second loop is much more challenging. It consists of a large descent of several miles, a long rolling stretch along the river, then a series of climbs. From past experience I knew that this final stretch was going to be the hardest for me to tackle since I tend to fade in the later miles. One of the things Coach Andy and I worked on in the off-season was how often and how consistently I was fueling myself. I found through much trial and error that water, every eight to ten minutes, and an energy gel every 30 minutes works well for me. I also found (through much error, unfortunately) that my stomach and gels with caffeine in them don’t work together well when I am running either. Eliminating caffeine from my fuel intake before and during a race has made a huge difference in how I feel. Finally, I’m a heavy sweater which necessitates including some sort of salt supplement to my fueling routine. Again, through trial and error I’ve found that PowerGels fill the void for me since they contain 200mg of sodium each – more than twice what GU and most of the other brands have.
So how did the race unfold?!
I started the race in the front end of the middle pack and used the first two mile stretch of road to let my breathing settle in. By the time we hit the single-track segment of the Olmstead Loop I was feeling relaxed and happy. My Garmin showed I was running a 9:30m/m so I backed off a little to keep my HR low. I came out of the loop and in to the first Aid Station at just around an hour and a half – exactly where I wanted to be. The next few miles I knew according to Coach Andy’s race plan would be rolling followed by a steep downhill that would require me to focus on the use of good form in order to save my quads for the later miles. Several people flew past me on this stretch, a couple of which I ended up passing on the hills later on (always a nice feeling!). I rolled into the second aid station at the bottom of the canyon feeling great. I looked at my watch and couldn’t believe that I had already ran nearly 12 miles! But best of all I checked my average pace data on my Garmin and it indicated that I was running at a 11:45 m/m pace. Amazing–I was ahead of my plan! Then with a quick stop to dump trash and to refill of my water bottles I was back on my way.
The next hour went quickly. I was nervous along this portion not having actually run this stretch of trail before—mostly because I didn’t know where the serious climb out of the canyon was going to happen. Every slight uphill had me thinking, “Is this where it starts? Am I gonna be able to do this?” I reminded myself, of course I could – and was going to. Before I knew it I was at the third Aid Station still feeling strong and best of all, my stomach was still feeling good. I took the time to thank the volunteers but didn’t take the time to stop–there were hills waiting to conquer!
I studied the course map and elevation charts in the weeks leading up to this event and I have to admit, I kind of psyched myself out about the three big hills that dominate this race. There’s the first hill out of the canyon that starts after aid station three and it’s big. The second hill is so infamous that it carries its own name – Goat Hill. And finally the third, a big rolling hill that comes up just before the finish. Historically I haven’t felt like I’ve done well on hills in the later miles of a race. But then again I don’t think I’ve trained myself in the past like I had for the hills of Way Too Cool. So I simply took the hills one at a time.
The first hill started off steep as expected, but I found that as long as I kept moving–power-walking and using good form– it didn’t feel too bad. And before I knew it I was on the ridgeline looking down at the most beautiful view of the canyon! The next few miles rolled along a ridge allowing me to run at an easy pace and shake out that first climb.
When I reached Goat Hill I knew that one, I was doing great on time and two, nothing was going to stop me from finishing – not even this infamous hill! The hill ultimately wasn’t as bad as I had feared but you wouldn’t have known if from listening to the other runners around me. So many swear words! The best part about finishing the Goat Hill climb is that there is an aid station at the top which also serves as the marathon mileage marker of the course (right around 26.2 miles). I checked my average pace as I was leaving this station and saw I was doing under a 12:30m/m pace – still well ahead of my goal! A mile later I was passed by my friend Karen. As she went by I said “if we keep this up we’re going to break seven hours!” Her reply stopped me in my tracks (figuratively… not literally) “Forget seven hours, I’m dialed in for a 6:45 finish!” and off she went. It was then that I realized that if I could keep her in my sights for the next four miles that I too could achieve something previously thought unachievable to me – breaking the six hour and forty-five minute barrier! There was no time to waste so off I went.
By mile twenty nine Karen was gone, but more importantly my legs and stomach were still feeling good and I was nearly done. I reached the “One Mile Left” sign, looked at my watch and it dawned on me – I could walk the rest of the way now if I wanted to and would still break seven hours! What an amazing feeling this was! Of course I didn’t walk but the realization that I was going to break my dream goal was so powerful that I ran the rest of that last hill, across the field and around the corner to the finish. I looked at my watch as I rounded the corner to see it was reading six hours and forty eight minutes – forty six minutes faster than my previous best 50K finish time! I let out a roar and threw my arms over my head. Done. Elated. And most important, I know now that I can do this again.
Next up for the spring: Diablo 50K, Born To Run 50K and the Tahoe Rim Trail 50 Miler – the latter being my first full 50 miler. I know now that I can finish them all. Thanks to Coach Andy for helping me to realize that yes, I can do this!
